Comments on: Adding VRAM to a Mac Mini?

Question: Adding VRAM to a Mac Mini?

Tlogmer — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 17:17:56 -0800

Is it possible to add more VRAM to a Mac Mini?

By: smackfu

smackfu — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 17:29:31 -0800

Not that I've heard, though the upgraded ones that Apple is now unofficially shipping do have 64 MB instead of 32 MB.

By: nathan_teske

nathan_teske — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 17:50:58 -0800

No. The VRAM is soldered onto the board.

By: Tlogmer

Tlogmer — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 18:51:15 -0800

Bah. So much for Civilization 4. (I couldn't really afford it anyway.)

By: cillit bang

cillit bang — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 18:51:55 -0800

The Mac mini motherboard does actually have blank space on the motherboard for extra chips, but they're surface mount BGA so you'd never be able to solder them by hand, and it probably wouldn't work if you did.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 19:41:28 -0800

Is there a particular reason it probably wouldn't work if you did solder it in? If I remember correctly - this is what you have to do to upgrade the RAM on an xbox - and when you do it, software like Mame is able to use the additional memory.

By: mrg

mrg — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 20:15:29 -0800

because of the BGA packaging. BGA stands for Ball Grid Array and is, literally, small blobs of solder on the underside of the chip that melt and solder themselves to the pads on the board. it's not like a surface-mount DIP package like older RAM/etc. used; you basically have to reheat the board to get the solder to melt and do it while not affecting anything else. this page from Agilent even has a nice picture (though it's pretty technical). if you've got a video card or other board that's got the RAM chips that look like discrete black squares hotglued to the board, then you've got some examples of BGA chips.

By: xmutex

xmutex — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 21:43:05 -0800

Civ 4 isn't out for the Mac until Febuary '06 anyway. Plenty of time to upgrade to that G5!

By: nathan_teske

nathan_teske — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 22:00:00 -0800

xmutex does have a point - Mac minis have a relatively decent resale value. Or just buy the G5 and keep the mini around as a server (seriously.... at my work, we're running whole bunch of Applescript powered FileMaker and Illustrator automation on Minis.)

By: Tlogmer

Tlogmer — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 01:34:48 -0800

Plenty of time to upgrade to that G5!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Hahahaha. Heh.

I should probably get a job.

By: wackybrit

wackybrit — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 09:41:25 -0800

I just ended up buying a PowerBook 17" (not arrived yet!) because of the Mac Mini's few downsides (slow drive, no CoreImage support, no memory over 1GB).. and the ability to take it out on the road.

A Mac Mini with CoreImage support, 2GB RAM, and a 100GB 7200RPM drive would have suited me, alas.. and, no, the PowerMac G5 is no good, it's gigantic, gaudy, and noisy. :-(

By: wackybrit

wackybrit — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 10:48:10 -0800

By the way, Civilization IV for PC is about half the price, out already, and.. you can throw together a PC that could run it for less than a Mac Mini.

I'm a bit of a Mac zealot, but still keep a PC around for "essentials" like this ;-)